The subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems for purity detection and, more particularly, to systems using fiber optic purity sensors.
Gases are used in a wide range of applications covering many industries, such as fuel cells, transportation, and power generation. For example, hydrogen may be used as a coolant in electrical equipment, such as electrical generators. Other gases, such as carbon dioxide and air, may also be used in electrical generators. A purity requirement of hydrogen varies depending on the application. For example, electrical generators may require high purity hydrogen to avoid creating combustible gas mixtures. Existing hydrogen purity monitoring instruments are typically based on thermal conductivity detection (TCD). TCD is a general-purpose gas analysis method with non-specific and nondestructive characteristics and may be less sensitive than flame ionization detection methods. The resolution and accuracy of TCD may be limited. Other methods for monitoring hydrogen purity include the use of gas density and differential pressure based measurements. However, these methods are subject to ambient and gas temperature-induced variations. Therefore, there is a need for an improved purity measurement sensor and system to address one or more of the aforementioned issues.